Telephone call handling list for multiple users

ABSTRACT

Enabling handling of incoming phone calls includes receiving an indication from one or more call recipients reflecting a desire to block future calls from a call source. A number of received indications reflecting a desire to block future calls from the call source is determined and compared to a threshold. An identifier of the call source is added to a list of call sources from which future calls are specially handled when the number of indications meets the threshold. Handling an incoming call from an undesired call source includes receiving an indication of a call placed to a call recipient. A source of the call is identified. Whether the identified call source is included in the list of call sources from which future calls are specially handled is determined. Special handling is applied to the call when the identified call source is included in the list.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document relates to creating a list of call sources whose calls arehandled specially and allowing the list to be used by multiplerecipients of the calls.

BACKGROUND

Telephone call recipients may block calls from undesirable call sources,such as telemarketers, on a national or individual level. For example,calls from call sources nationally recognized as typically undesirablemay be blocked for call recipients that are registered with the NationalDo Not Call Registry. The National Do Not Call Registry blocks callsfrom the recognized call sources to all registered call recipients. Thecall recipients may add call sources to the National Do Not CallRegistry, which results in calls from the added call sources beingblocked for all registered recipients. In addition, an individualrecipient may specify call sources whose calls are blocked only for theindividual recipient.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, enabling handling of incoming phone callsincludes receiving an indication from one or more call recipientsreflecting a desire to block future calls from a call source. A numberof received indications reflecting a desire to block future calls fromthe call source is determined, and the number of indication is comparedto a threshold. An identifier of the call source is added to a list whenthe number of indications meets the threshold. A determination of how tohandle an incoming phone call from the call source based on whether thecall source is included in the list is enabled.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the indication may be received in response to a call to the oneor more call recipients from the call source.

Enabling a determination of how to handle an incoming phone call fromthe call source may include enabling the phone call to be blocked whenthe call source is included in the list.

The identifier of the call source may include a phone number of the callsource.

Receiving an indication reflecting the desire of the one or more callrecipients to block calls from the call source may include enablingpresentation of a user interface that presents calls from the callsource to one or more of the call recipients. The indication may bereceived from the user interface. Receiving the indication from the userinterface presented to a recipient may include receiving the indicationfrom an online service provider system that provides the user interfaceto the recipient. The user interface may make perceivable a log of callsreceived by the recipient, or a notification of an incoming call to therecipient from the call source.

Receiving an indication reflecting the desire of the one or more callrecipients to block calls from the call source may include receiving theindication from phones used by recipients of calls from the phonenumber.

Adding the call source to the list may include identifying anappropriate category for the call source, and adding the call source tothe appropriate category. Identifying an appropriate category for thecall source may include retrieving an indication of the appropriatecategory from the indication reflecting the desire to block future callsfrom the call source. The appropriate category may be a category of callsources from which future calls are blocked for a single recipient ofthe calls, or a category of call sources from which future calls areblocked for a group of recipients of the calls.

An indication may be received from one of the call recipients of timeswhen phone calls from the call source are to be handled. The indicationof the times may be associated with the call source in the list.Receiving an indication from one of the call recipients of times whenphone calls from the call source are to be handled may include receivingan indication of times when phone calls from the call source are to behandled from a user interface presented to a recipient of the calls fromthe phone number. Receiving the indication of the times from the userinterface presented to the recipient may include receiving theindication of the times from an online service provider system thatprovides the user interface to the recipient.

In another general aspect, handling an incoming call from an undesiredcall source includes receiving an indication of a call placed to a callrecipient. A source of the call is identified. Whether the identifiedcall source is included in a list of call sources from which futurecalls are specially handled is determined. Special handling is appliedto the call when the identified call source is included in the list. Acall source is added to the list of call sources after a number ofreceived indications reflecting a desire of corresponding callrecipients to block future calls from the call source exceeds athreshold number.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, applying special handling to the call may include blocking thecall, or forwarding the call to the call recipient with additionalinformation identifying the call as originating from a call sourceincluded in the list. The additional information may cause the call toring differently on a phone used by the call recipient than callsoriginating from call sources not included in the list. The additionalinformation may include the number of indications reflecting a desire ofthe corresponding call recipients to block future calls from the callsource that have been received. The additional information may bepresented to the call recipient. Presenting the additional informationmay include presenting the additional information in a notification thatthe call originated from a call source included in the list.

The call may be forwarded with additional information identifying thecall as originating from a call source not included in the list forwhich at least one indication reflecting the desire of the correspondingcall recipients to block future calls from the call source has beenreceived. The additional information may include a number of indicationsreflecting the desire of the corresponding call recipients to blockfuture calls from the call source that have been received. Theadditional information may cause the call to ring differently on a phoneused by the call recipient than calls originating from other callsources not included in the list. The additional information may bepresented to the call recipient. Presenting the additional informationmay include presenting the additional information in a notification thatthe call originated from a call source for which at least one indicationhas been received.

Applying special handling to the call when the call source is includedin the list may include identifying a category within the list of callsources that includes the call source. Special call handling may beapplied to the call when the call recipient corresponds to theidentified category of the list.

Applying special handling to the call when the call source is includedin the list may include determining if a time at which the call isreceived is a time at which special handling is to be applied to callsfrom the call source. The special handling may be applied to the callwhen the time at which the call is received is a time at which thespecial handling is to be applied to the calls.

Applying special handling to the call may include playing an audiomessage for the call source indicating that special handling is beingapplied to the call. Playing the audio message for the call source mayinclude playing an audio message for the call source that informs thatcall source that future phone calls from the call source will beblocked.

The call recipient may be notified that the special handling has beenapplied to the call.

Identifying a source of the call may include identifying a phone numberfrom which the call was placed. Determining if the identified callsource is included in the list may include determining if the identifiedphone number is included in a list of phone numbers of call sources fromwhich future calls are to be blocked

A user interface may be presented to the call recipient that presentsindications of calls placed to the call recipient and enables the callrecipient to generate indications that future calls from the sources ofthe presented calls are to be blocked. The user interface may makeperceivable a log of calls received by the call recipient, or anotification of incoming calls placed to the call recipient.

An indication reflecting a desire of corresponding call recipients toblock future calls may be received from the call source from a phoneused by the call recipient.

The call recipient may be notified that the call is being handledregularly when the call source is not included in the list.

The call recipient may be enabled to generate an indication reflectingthe desire that future calls from the call source are to be blocked whenthe call source is not included in the list.

These general and specific aspects may be implemented using a system, amethod, or a computer program, or any combination of systems, methods,and computer programs.

Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, andfrom the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications system for providing atelephone call handling list for multiple users.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a notification of an incoming telephonecall.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a notification of a blocked telephone callfrom a telemarketer.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for specifying a list of callsources whose calls are specially handled for a group of users.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for handling a telephone call basedon whether the call is from a source included in a list of call sourceswhose calls are handled specially.

FIGS. 6A-6C provide a flow chart of a process for handling a call to auser for whom calls from undesirable sources are handled specially.

FIGS. 7A and 7B provide a flow chart of a process for handling a callbased on the selection of an option from a notification of the call.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an interface for manually specifying a listof call sources for which calls are specially handled.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a list of call sources whose calls arespecially handled.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A list of call sources whose calls receive special handling is createdto indicate a desire to have special handling applied to future callsfrom the call sources. For example, a user may generate an indicationreflecting a desire to block future calls from a call source in responseto a call from the call source. The user may generate such an indicationbecause the user believes the call source to be undesirable. When athreshold number of such indications are received from one or moreusers, the call source is added to the list of call sources. Specialhandling is applied to future calls from call sources included in thelist of call sources. The special handling may result in the futurecalls being blocked from their intended recipients. Special handling maybe applied to a call to a user from which an indication reflecting thedesire to block the call was not received. In other words, portions ofthe list of call sources may be applied to multiple users, some of whommay not have been directly involved in the specification or the creationof the list.

Referring to FIG. 1, a communications system 100 for handling calls fromundesirable call sources includes a caller telephone 105, a destinationtelephone 110, a telephone network 115, a call handling system 120 thatincludes a call source list 125, a network 130, an online serviceprovider system 140, and a call destination computer system 135.

The caller telephone 105 is configured to place a call to thedestination telephone 110 across the telephone network 115. The callertelephone 105 and the destination telephone 110 may be landline phonesthat allow communications over the telephone network 115. In anotherimplementation, the caller telephone 105 and/or the destinationtelephone 110 may be a cellular phone or a mobile personal digitalassistant (PDA) with embedded cellular phone technology. In yet anotherimplementation, the destination telephone 110 may integrate the calldestination computer system 135 and operate as a single computer system.

The telephone network 115 is configured to enable direct or indirectvoice communications between the caller telephone 105, the destinationtelephone 110, and the call handling system 120. The telephone network115 also may be configured to forward calls between the caller telephone105 and the destination telephone 110 to a voicemail system, anothertelephone used by a user of the caller telephone 105 or the destinationtelephone 110, or another telephone system that may receive the calls.When a user of the caller telephone 105 places a call to the destinationtelephone 110, the telephone network 115 is configured to forward thecall to the call handling system 120. In one implementation, forwardingthe call to the call handling system 120 may include sending informationdescribing the call to the call handling system. More particularly,sending information describing the call may include routing a signalingchannel of the call to the call handling system 120 while a voicechannel of the call is routed directly between the caller telephone 105and the destination telephone 110.

When the call is forwarded to the call handling system 120, thetelephone network 115 is configured to send call-related information tothe call handling system 120 over a signaling channel. The call-relatedinformation includes call origin and call destination information. Thecall origin information may include the direct number of the callertelephone 105 and the time and date when the call was initiated, and thecall destination information may include the direct number of thedestination telephone 110. The call origin information may be delivered,for example, through a service known as Automatic Number Identification(ANI), and the call destination information may be delivered, forexample, by extracting called number information from the integratedservices digital network (ISDN) call setup or, alternatively, through aservice known as Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).

The telephone network 115 also is configured to receive call handlinginstructions from the call handling system 120. The call handlinginstructions are instructions that tell the telephone network 115 how toprocess a call. The call handling instructions may include, for example,instructions to accept a call, block a call, or forward a call toanother telephone number (e.g., to a telephone number corresponding to avoicemail system or to a different telephone).

The telephone network 115 may include a circuit-switched voice network,a packet-switched data network, or any other network able to carry voicedata. For example, circuit-switched voice networks may include a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), and packet-switched data networks mayinclude networks based on the Internet protocol (IP) or asynchronoustransfer mode (ATM), and may support voice using, for example,Voice-over-IP, Voice-over-ATM, or other comparable protocols used forvoice data communications.

The call handling system 120 is a computer system configured to receivea call from the caller telephone 105 that has been forwarded to the callhandling system 120 by the telephone network 115. The call handlingsystem 120 applies special handling to the call when the call is from acall source included in the call source list 125. Call sources are addedto the call source list 125 after receipt of a particular number ofindications that calls from the call source should be handled specially.

The indications may be received from the identity to whom the call isplaced or from other identities associated with the identity to whom thecall is placed. For example, an indication that calls from the callsource should be handled specially may be received from other identitiesincluded in one or more contact lists associated with the identities towhom the call is placed. Therefore, calls from a call source may bespecially handled for a user that did not actively indicate that callsfrom the call source should be specially handled.

More particularly, the call source list 125 may include categories thatapply to individual users, to users corresponding to particularaccounts, to other groups of users, or to all users. The userscorresponding to a category are not required to actively indicate thatcalls from the call sources in the categories should be handledspecially. The call source list 125 may be organized or sorted tofacilitate determinations of presence of call sources in the call sourcelist 125. A call source whose calls should be specially handled may beidentified in the call source list 125 by a phone number of the callsource, a name of the call source, an address of the call source, alocation of the call source, or another identifier of the call source.

The call handling system 120 receives the call destination direct numberfrom the telephone network 115, identifies one or more identitiesassociated with the call destination direct number, and handles the callfor the identified identities in accordance the call source list 125.The identities associated with the call destination direct number may beidentified, for example, by accessing an account record indexed by thecall destination direct number and stored in a configuration data store.Alternatively, the account record may be indexed by a name or anotheridentifier of a user of the destination telephone 110 or the calldestination computer system 135.

The special handling applied to the call may include blocking the call.The special handling also may include ignoring the call such that thecall is not answered and is allowed to continuously ring. Alternatively,a message, such as an audio message, may be sent to the telephonenetwork 115 or the caller telephone 105 to instruct the user of thecaller telephone 105 not to call the destination telephone 110 again. Anelectronic message that inspires an audio message indicating theunavailability of the destination telephone 110 to the caller telephone105 also may be sent to the telephone network 115.

If the call source is not included in the call source list 125, the callmay be handled regularly. For example, the call may be forwarded to thedestination telephone 110 or to another number, such as a specified cellphone number or a voicemail number. Notifications of the call may besent to the identified identities, based on preferences associated withthe identified identities in general or individually.

The call handling system 120 processes the call by identifying whichidentities may receive a call notification message based on theaccount-level and identity-level call handling preferences. The callhandling system 120 requests the online status of the identifiedidentities from the online service provider system 140 and generatescall notification messages for each identified identity that is onlinein accordance with the identity-level preferences. The call handlingsystem 120 sends the call notification messages to the online serviceprovider system 140, which sends the call notification messages, alongwith format data that indicates how the notification messages are to bedisplayed, over the network 130 to one or more call destination computersystems 135 for presentation to users. Each user of a call destinationcomputer system 135 selects an option presented in the call notificationmessage, and the selected option is sent to the online service providersystem 140 over the network 130. The online service provider system 140relays the selected option to the call handling system 120, whichprocesses the selected option accordingly.

The call handling system 120 processes a selected option by sending acall handling instruction to the telephone network 115 and/or sending anaudio message to the caller telephone 105 over the telephone network115. The call handling system 120 is configured to record, store,access, and play or redirect audio messages. The audio messages may bepersonalized by subscribers to the call handling services and may bestored in a data store and indexed, for example, by the number of thedestination phone of the subscriber.

The network 130 is configured to enable direct or indirectcommunications between the call handling system 120, the online serviceprovider system 140, and one or more call destination computer systems135. Examples of the network 130 include the Internet, Wide AreaNetworks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), analog or digital wired andwireless telephone networks (e.g., Public Switched Telephone Network(PSTN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), and DigitalSubscriber Line (xDSL)), radio, television, cable, satellite, and/or anyother delivery or tunneling mechanism for carrying data.

In some implementations, the network 130 and the telephone network 115are implemented by a single or otherwise integrated communicationsnetwork configured to enable voice communications between the callertelephone 105, the destination telephone 110, and the call handlingsystem 120, and to enable communications between the call handlingsystem 120, the online service provider system 140, and the one or morecall destination computer systems 135.

The online service provider system 140 is a computer system configuredto provide online data communications services to users, detect onlinepresence of users of call destination computer systems 135, receive callnotification messages from the call handling system 120, generate formatdata and send the format data along with the call notification messagesto call destination computer systems 135, and send selected options fromthe call destination computer systems 135 to the call handling system120. The online data communications services may include, for example,e-mail services, instant messaging services, Internet access, and/oraccess to online content.

The online service provider system 140 may detect online presence ofusers of call destination computer systems 135 in, for example, a mannersimilar to that used to detect presence in an instant messaging systemand/or in a manner similar to that disclosed in application Ser. No.10/414,167, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety,and which describes the use of client-side communication devicemonitors. The online service provider system 140 also is configured toreceive call notification messages from the call handling system 120,generate format data that is used to format the call notificationmessage for presentation on the call destination computer systems 135,and send the call notification messages to the call destination computersystems 135 in real time.

The format data may vary based on device type. For example, for a devicewith limited display capabilities, such as a PDA, the format data mayenable the device to limit the call notification message to a visualindication of the incoming call (e.g., illumination of a light and agraphical display of a call icon and the caller phone direct number oridentity proxy thereof), and may further limit the call handling optionsthat are presented to the user to a subset of the full suite of options(e.g., the option to forward the call to one other phone number). Incontrast, the format data sent to a home computer may enable the homecomputer to provide, for example, an audio and visual indication of thecall and to display full caller identity information including address,return phone number, and other information about the caller accessiblebased on the caller phone number. The format data sent to the homecomputer also may enable the home computer to present to the user asignificantly larger number of call handling options (e.g., the optionto play various audio messages, take a message, and forward the call toa phone number selected by the user from a large number of possiblephone numbers).

Since the caller is waiting on the caller telephone 105 during thegeneration and transmission of call notification messages, the onlineservice provider system 140 is configured to send information to andreceive information from the call destination computer systems 135 inreal time. For example, the online service provider system 140 also isconfigured to transmit in real time the selected options from the calldestination computer systems 135 to the call handling system 120.Accordingly, the online service provider system 140 may be configured toavoid queuing call notification messages or selected options or to avoidfurther processing the call notification messages or selected options inany way that increases transmission delay. The online service providersystem 140 may be configured to provide this functionality in a mannersimilar to that used by instant messaging systems, or even to leverageinstant messaging systems to enable transmission and receipt of callhandling and notification messages as instant messages in real time.

The call destination computer system 135 is configured to receive callnotification messages and format data from the online service providersystem 140, to process the call notification messages in accordance withthe format data to enable a user to perceive the call notification, toaccept user selection of one of the options offered by the callnotification message, and to send the selected option to the onlineservice provider system 140. The call destination computer system 135may be a general purpose computer, such as a workstation or a personalcomputer, a PDA, a special purpose computer, an intelligent mobilephone, a pager, or a set top box. The call destination computer system135 may include one or more software or hardware applications thatcommand and direct communications between the call destination computersystem 135 and the online service provider system 140. The applicationsmay enable digital communications to be received from the online serviceprovider system 140. For example, the applications may include amodified instant messaging application configured to receivenotification messages and to send selected options in a manner similarto that used to receive and send instant messages.

In some implementations, the call handling system 120 may be integratedinto the call destination computer system 135. In such implementations,the call destination computer system 135 may be connected to thetelephone line used by the destination telephone 110, as well as to thenetwork 130. For example, a dongle or some other piece of hardware maybe used to connect the call destination computer system 135 to thetelephone line in parallel with the destination telephone 110. Asanother example, the destination telephone 110 may be connected to thetelephone line thorough the call destination computer system 135. As aresult, calls to the destination telephone 110 also may be received bythe call destination computer system 135 and by the call handling system120 that is integrated into the call destination computer system 135without the calls being forwarded. The call handling system 120determines if the call is from an undesirable source, and if so, appliesspecial handling to the call, as is done when the call handling system120 is a standalone system.

In implementations where the call handling system 120 is integrated intothe call destination computer system 135, a local copy of the callsource list 125 may be maintained at the call destination computersystem 135. A central copy of the call source list 125 may be maintainedby the online service provider system 140, and additional undesirablecall sources may be added to the central copy of the call source list125. The call source list 125 may be centrally maintained fordistribution to other call destinations for use in blocking calls fromundesirable sources identified in the call source list 125. The callsource list 125 also may be centrally maintained such that the callsource list 125 is not lost if the call destination computer system 125fails. The call destination system 135 may periodically request anupdated copy of the call source list 125 from the online serviceprovider system 140, or the online service provider 140 may periodicallyprovide the call destination system with an updated copy of the callsource list 125. The call handling system 120 uses the local copy of thecall source list 125 when determining if calls to the destinationtelephone are from undesirable sources.

Referring to FIG. 2, a call notification interface 200 may be presentedto a user associated with a telephone number to which a call announcedby the call notification interface 200 was placed. The call notificationinterface 200 includes caller identification information 205, a blocktelemarketer option 210, an answer option 215, a send message option220, a take message option 225, and an ignore option 230.

The call notification interface 200 may be displayed on a computersystem used by the user to access the Internet. The call notificationinterface 200 may be presented to the user while a destination telephoneused by the user is occupied. For example, the user may be using thedestination telephone and an associated phone line to connect to theInternet. Alternatively or additionally, the call notification interface200 may be presented to the user when the call is received, regardlessof whether the destination telephone is occupied. In such a case, allcalls to the destination telephone are routed both to the computersystem and to the destination telephone.

The caller identification information 205 includes informationidentifying a caller telephone from which the call was placed and a userof the caller telephone. The caller identification information mayinclude a name of the user, a phone number corresponding to the callertelephone or to the user, and a location of the caller telephone or ofthe user. The location may be a street address or a city and a statethat is derived from the phone number included in the calleridentification information 205. For example, the phone number, and moreparticularly the area code of the phone number, may be used to identifythe corresponding location.

The block telemarketer option 210 is used to indicate that the userdesires to block future calls from the caller telephone and the user ofthe caller telephone. Selecting the block telemarketer option 210generates an indication of such a desire that is sent to a call handlingsystem, such as the call handling system 120 of FIG. 1, that maintains alist 125 of sources of calls that are to be blocked. If a particularnumber of such indications are received, then calls from the callertelephone and the caller may be blocked for other users associated withthe user. The block telemarketer option 210 may be selected when theuser determines that the caller telephone and the caller represent atelemarketer or another undesirable call source.

In addition to generating the indication when selected, the blocktelemarketer option 210 may cause a message indicating that the blocktelemarketer option 210 has been selected to be sent to the caller. Themessage may be an audio message that may be played for the caller overthe caller telephone. Alternatively or additionally, an electronicmessage, such as an instant message or an e-mail message, may be sent tothe caller if addressing information for the electronic message isavailable. The message also may be included in an interface or anotification presented to the caller on a computer system used by thecaller.

The answer option 215 enables the user to indicate that the call is tobe received. The user may participate in the call using a microphone andspeakers associated with the computer system on which the callnotification interface 200 is displayed. Alternatively, the user may usethe destination telephone to participate in the call.

Selecting the send message option 220 causes a message to be sent to thecaller. The message may indicate that the user is busy, otherwiseunavailable to receive the call, or does not desire to receive the call,for example, because the caller is a telemarketer. Like the message sentwhen the block telemarketer option 210 is selected, the message may bean audio message or an electronic message, or may be included in aninterface or a notification that is presented to the caller.

Selecting the take message option 225 causes the call to be forwarded toa voicemail service that then may take a message. Alternatively oradditionally, selecting the take message option 225 may activate ananswering machine connected to the destination telephone. In eithercase, the user does not actively participate in the call or in takingthe message after selecting the take message option 225.

The ignore option 230 may be selected by the user when the user does notwish to receive the call, for example, because the user does not wish toreceive or otherwise handle a call from the caller identified in thecaller identification information 205. Selection of the ignore option230 may cause the call to ring continuously for the caller withoutproviding an indication to the caller that the call is being ignored bythe user.

Referring to FIG. 3, a message notification interface 300 may bepresented to a user for which the call notification interface 200 ofFIG. 2 was displayed. More particularly, the message notificationinterface 300 may be displayed for the user after the user selects theblock telemarketer option 210 of the call notification interface 200. Insome implementations, the message notification interface 300 may bedisplayed only after the send message option 220 has been selected. Themessage notification interface 300 includes a message 305, an acceptbutton 310, a reject button 315, an option 320, and a link 325.

The message 305 informs the user that a message indicating that the callwas not received because the caller is believed to be a telemarketer hasbeen played for the caller. The message 305 may provide the user withthe option of blocking future calls from the caller. In other words, theuser is provided with the option of generating an indication of a desireto block future calls from the caller. Selecting the accept button 310generates such an indication, while selecting the reject button 315causes the message notification interface 300 to be dismissed withoutgenerating such an indication. When the accept button 310 is selected,the generated indication is sent to a call handling system, such as thecall handling system 120 of FIG. 1.

When selected the option 320 prevents the message notification interface300 from being presented to the user in the future. Therefore, selectingthe option 320 prevents the user from having the option to indicate thedesire to block future calls from the caller when selected. When theaccept button 310 is selected after the option 320 is selected, anindication of the desire to block future calls from the caller may begenerated automatically without presenting the message notificationinterface 300.

The link 325 provides the user with access to the National Do Not CallRegistry. More particularly, a web site of the National Do Not CallRegistry may be displayed for the user in a web browser when the link325 is selected. The user may view the web site to gather informationabout the National Do Not Call Registry and to determine whether toregister with the National Do Not Call Registry. The web site also mayinclude an indication of whether the caller is a telemarketer andwhether other users have indicated the desire to block calls from thecaller.

Referring to FIG. 4, a process 400 is used to specify a list of callsources such that special handling may be applied to future calls fromthe call sources. The list of call sources may be applied to calls to asingle user or to a group of associated users. The process 400 isexecuted by a call handling system, such as the call handling system 120of FIG. 1, in response to indications of a desire to block future callsfrom a call source that are received from a destination telephone, suchas the destination telephone 110 of FIG. 1, or a computer system at thedestination telephone, such as the call destination computer system 135of FIG. 1.

The process 400 begins when an indication of a call source from whichcalls are to be handled specially is received (405). The indication maybe generated by and received from an interface, such as a log of callsor the notification interfaces 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3. Theinterface is displayed on the call destination computer system inresponse to a call from the call source. Alternatively, the indicationmay be generated by and received from the destination telephone, forexample, after a user of the destination telephone enters a code into akeypad of the destination telephone that causes the indication to begenerated.

An indication of times at which calls from the call source are to behandled specially also may be received (410). The indication may bereceived from an interface presented on the call destination computersystem. For example, the indication of the times may specify that callsfrom the call source are blocked every day from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M,all day Saturday, and all day Sunday. As another example, the indicationmay specify that the calls are to be handled specially when adestination phone line for the calls is occupied. In other words, theindications of the times may include actual times for which the callsare to be handled specially or situations or events during which thecalls are to be handled specially.

In addition, an indication of people for whom calls from the call sourceare to be handled specially may be received (415). For example, thecalls from the call source may be handled specially for a single userfrom which the indication of the call source is received, or formultiple users associated with the single user. More particularly, callsmay be handled specially for people known to the user, such as peopleincluded in a contact list of the single user or people included in agroup of the contact list. The indication may specify the peopleindividually by name or another identifier, or by a name of the contactlist or the group within the contact list.

A determination of whether the indicated call source is included in thelist of call sources that is maintained by the call handling system ismade (420). If not, then a determination is made as to whether at leastone other indication of the desire to block future calls from theindicated call source has been received (425). In other words, adetermination is made as to whether calls from the indicated call sourcehave been identified previously as candidates for special handling. Ifno previous indications of the call source were received, then the callsource is added to a set of call sources whose calls may be handledspecially (430). For each call source in the set, a count of the numberof indications reflecting the desire to specially handle future callsfrom the call source is maintained. After the call source is added tothe set, processing of the received indication of the call source iscomplete, and the call handling system waits until another indication ofa call source is received.

The call handling system then increments a count of the number of suchindications of the call source that have been received (435), anddetermines whether a number of indications made is sufficient for thecall source to be added to the list of call sources (440). For example,a threshold number of indications may be required before the call sourceis added to the list of call sources. If a sufficient number ofindications have not yet been received, processing of the receivedindication of the call source is complete, and the call handling systemwaits until another indication of a call source is received.

If enough indications of the call source have been received, then thecall source is added to the list of call sources (445). Moreparticularly, an identifier of the call source, such as a phone numberof the call source, is added to the list of call sources. In addition,the received indications of times at which special handling is to beapplied to the calls from the call source may be associated with thecall source in the list. The received indications of people for whomspecial handling is to be applied to the calls from the call source maybe associated with the call source in the list or may be used toidentify a category for the call source within the list.

As a result of the call source being added to the list (445) or alreadybeing included in the list (420), future calls from the call source arethen specially handled. The special handling applied to the future callsfrom the call source will be described with respect to FIG. 5.

The list of call sources that is maintained with the process 400 may bedistributed by the call handling system to other systems that may applythe special handling to the calls from the call sources included in thelist. For example, the list may be distributed to destination telephonesand call destination computer systems to which the calls are placed.Distributing the list to the destination telephones and the calldestination computer systems may make the special handling more reliablebecause multiple systems are applying the special handling to the calls.More particularly, distributing the list enables the special handling tobe applied after failure of the call handling system. Distributing thelist also may improve the performance of the call handling system byreducing the responsibilities of the call handling system.

In one implementation, the call handling system maintains three sets ofcall sources. The first set includes those call sources that have beenadded to the list of call sources. In other words, the first set is thelist of call sources. The second set includes call sources that have notyet been added to the list of call sources and for which at least oneindication of a desire to block future calls has been received. Thethird set includes those calls sources for which no such indicationshave been received. A call source is initially found in the third set,and may be moved to the second set and then to the first set. The threesets may be color coded. For example, the first set may be given a redcolor to indicate that calls from the included call sources are blocked.The second set may be given a yellow color to indicate that calls fromthe included call sources are allowed, but that the calls may not beallowed in the future. The third set may be given a green color toindicate that calls from the included call sources are allowed. Colorcoding the three sets may be particularly useful when the call sourcesare presented. For example, a call source may be presented in a color ofits corresponding set to indicate whether calls from the call source areor will be blocked or allowed.

Referring to FIG. 5, a process 500 is used to determine whether specialhandling should be applied to a call placed to a call recipient. Thedetermination is based on whether a call source that placed the call isincluded in a list of sources of calls to which special handling is tobe applied. The process 500 is executed each time a call to the callrecipient is placed. The process 500 is executed by a system thatmaintains the list of call sources. For example, the process 500 may beexecuted by a call handling system on which the list of call sources wasoriginally specified, such as the call handling system 120 of FIG. 1.Alternatively, the process 500 may be executed by a system used by thecall recipient that is capable of applying special handling to the call,such as the destination telephone 110 or the call destination computersystem 135, and to which the list of call sources has been provided.Multiple instances of the process 500 may be executed in parallel toapply special handling to calls placed to multiple call recipients.

The process 500 begins when a call to the call recipient is received atthe system executing the process 500 (505). For example, all calls tothe call recipient may be routed to the system executing the process500. A source of the call is identified (510). More particularly, anidentifier of the call source, such as a phone number of a telephonefrom which the call was placed, may be identified. The phone number maybe identified using the ANI service. The identifier of the call sourcemay be a name of the call source, an address of the call source, or alocation of the call source, which may be identified from the phonenumber of the call source identified using the ANI service.

A determination is made as to whether the call source is included in thelist of call sources.(515). In one implementation, the list of callsources includes identifiers of the call sources, and determiningwhether the identified call source is included in the list of callsources may include determining if the identified identifier of the callsource is one of the identifiers included in the list of call sources.In implementations where the list of call sources is separated intocategories, a category of the list of call sources that includes theidentified call source may be identified. Information associated withthe call source in the list, such as times at which, and people forwhom, special handling is applied to calls from the call source, alsomay be identified.

If the call source is included in the list of call sources, then specialhandling may be applied to the call (520). The special handling mayresult in the call being blocked from the call recipient. Alternatively,the call may be forwarded to the call recipient with additionalinformation identifying the call as originating from a call sourceincluded in the list. The additional information may cause the call toring differently on a telephone used by the call recipient than othercalls from call sources that are not included in the list. Theadditional information also may indicate the number of receivedindications that reflect a desire of one or more of the multiple callrecipients to block future calls from the call source. The additionalinformation may be presented to the call recipient, for example, in anotification that the call originated from a call source included in thelist of call sources.

An audio message indicating that the special handling is being appliedto the call may be played for the call source. The audio message mayinform the call source that future calls from the call source will beblocked. A notification that the call originated from a call sourceincluded in the list of call sources also may be displayed for the callrecipient.

If a category for the call source has been identified, then the specialhandling may be applied to the call only when the call recipientcorresponds to the identified category. For example, if the call sourceis part of a category that corresponds to a particular group of users,special handling may be applied to the call only when the call recipientis a member of the particular group. In addition, if ranges of times atwhich special handling is applied to calls from the call source areassociated with the call source in the list, special handling may beapplied to the call only when the time at which the call was placed orreceived is in one of the associated ranges of times.

However, if the call source is not included in the list of call sources,then the call may be handled regularly (525). In other words, the callsimply may be forwarded to the call recipient without restriction. Thecall recipient may be notified that the call is being handled regularly.If indications reflecting the desire to specially handle future callsfrom the call source have been received, but the call source has not yetbeen added to the list of call sources, the call may be forwarded to thecall recipient with additional information indicating that theindications have been received but that the call source has not yet beenadded to the list. The additional information may indicate the number ofindications that have been received. The additional information may bepresented to the call recipient in a notification of the call that ispresented to the call recipient. Alternatively or additionally, theadditional information may cause the call to ring differently than othercalls on the call recipient's telephone. The call recipient may beenabled to generate an indication reflecting a desire to add the callsource to the list of call sources such that special handling may beapplied to future calls from the call source. Such an indication may begenerated, for example, through use of the notification interfaces 200and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C, a process 600 is used for handling a call to acall recipient for which calls from undesirable sources are handledspecially. For convenience, particular components described with respectto FIG. 1 are referenced as performing the process 600. Moreparticularly, the process 600 involves a caller telephone 105, atelephone network 115, a call handling system 120, an online serviceprovider system 140, and a call destination computer system 135.However, similar methodologies may be applied in other implementationswhere different components are used to define the structure of thesystem, or where the functionality is distributed differently among thecomponents shown by FIG. 1. For example, similar methodologies may beapplied in implementations where the call handling system 120 isintegrated into the online service provider system 140.

A user of the caller phone 105 places a call to the destinationtelephone by dialing the number of the destination telephone (602). Thetelephone network 115 receives the call from the caller telephone 105(604) and sends information describing the call to the call handlingsystem 120 (606), which receives the call information (608). The callinformation may be sent to the call handling system 120 over a signalingchannel, and may include a phone number of the destination of the call,and a time and date when the call was initiated.

The call handling system 120 identifies and accesses an account based onthe number of the destination telephone (610). The account may beidentified, for example, by accessing an account record stored in aconfiguration or registration data store and indexed by telephonenumber. The call handling system 120 determines whether special handlingis to be applied to the call (612). The determination may be based onthe accessed account. More particularly, the accessed configurationinformation may include preferences that indicate whether specialhandling should be applied to the call. Alternatively or additionally,the accessed registration information may indicate whether thedestination telephone has registered for the special call handling.

If special handling is not to be applied to the call, then the callhandling system 120 signals the telephone network 115 to forward thecall to the destination telephone (614). The call handling system 120may send the signal over the signaling channel. In response to thesignal, the telephone network 115 routes the call from the callertelephone 105 to the destination telephone (616). To do so, thetelephone network 115 may construct or redirect a voice path from thecaller telephone 105 to the destination telephone.

If special handling is to be applied to the call, then the call handlingsystem 120 identifies identities associated with the accessed account(618). In one implementation, the identities associated with the accountare stored in the previously accessed account record. The call handlingsystem 120 sends a request to the online service provider system 140 forthe online status of the identified identities (620).

The online service provider system 140 receives the request for theonline status of the identified identities (622) and accesses the onlinestatus of the available identities (624). The online status of theidentities may be stored, for example, in a presence data store that isconstantly updated in real-time in a manner similar to that used ininstant messaging systems to reflect activity of a user at the calldestination computer system 135. The online service provider system 140sends the online status of the available identities to the call handlingsystem 120 (626), which receives the online status of the identifiedidentities (628).

The call handling system 120 determines whether special handling shouldbe applied to the call (630). More particularly, the call handlingsystem 120 determines whether the caller telephone 105 is included inthe list of call sources whose calls are specially handled. In addition,the call handling system 120 may determine whether people and timesassociated with the call source in the list correspond to the people andtimes for which the special handling will be applied to the call.

If the call handling system 120 determines that special handling is notto be applied to the call (630), then the call handling system 120signals the telephone network 115 to forward the call to the destinationtelephone (632), and the telephone network 115 routes the call from thecaller telephone 105 to the destination telephone in the mannerdiscussed above (634). The call handling system 120 may send the signalto the telephone network 115 over the signaling channel. Beforesignaling the telephone network 115 to forward the call, the callhandling system 120 may associate additional information with the call.The call handling system 120 also generates a notification of theincoming call to be sent to the identified identities that are currentlyonline (636). The notification may include the additional informationthat was associated with the call. If none of the identified identitiesare online, then no notifications are generated.

If the call handling system 120 determines that special handling is tobe applied to the call (630), the call handling system 120 signals thetelephone network 115 to apply the special handling to the call (638),and the telephone network 115 applies the special handling (640). Thecall handling system 120 may specify the special handling by sendingcall handling instructions over the signaling path to the telephonenetwork 115, and the telephone network 115 may process the call handlinginstructions to apply the special handling to the call. Applying thespecial handling may include constructing or redirecting a voice pathfrom the caller telephone 105 to the destination telephone.

Before signaling the telephone network 115 to forward the call, the callhandling system 120 again may associate additional information with thecall. The call handling system 120 also generates a notification of theincoming call to be sent to the identified identities that are currentlyonline (642). The notification may include the additional informationthat was associated with the call. If none of the identified identitiesare online, then no notifications are generated.

The notifications that were generated by the call handling system 120are sent to the online service provider system 140 (644), and the onlineservice provider system 140 receives the notifications from the callhandling system 120 (646). The notifications typically are sent out inparallel by the call handling system 120 to minimize transmission delaysand arrival time differences between the notifications. The onlineservice provider system 140 distributes the notifications to theidentified identities that were previously determined to be online.

The online service provider system 140 sends the notifications to thecall destination computer systems 135 corresponding to the onlineidentities (648). Prior to doing so, the online service provider system140 may associate format data with the notification that specifies howthe notification is displayed on the call destination computer systems135. The sending and receiving of the notifications and format dataoccur in real time. The call notification messages typically are sentout in parallel by the online service provider system 140 to minimizetransmission delays and arrival time differences between calldestination computer systems 135.

The call destination computer system 135 receives a notification andmakes the notification perceivable to a user of the call destinationcomputer system (650). In one implementation, the call destinationcomputer system 135 enables the user to perceive the notification as apop-up window or dialog box that appears on a visual display of the calldestination computer system 135. The user may select an option presentedon the displayed notification, and the call destination computer system135 receives the selection of the option from the user (652).

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a process 700 is used for handling a callbased on the selection of an option from a notification of the call,such as the notification interfaces 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3. Forease of discussion, particular components described with respect to FIG.1 are referenced as performing the process 700. More particularly, theprocess 700 includes a call destination computer system 135, an onlineservice provider system 140, a call blocking system 125, a telephonenetwork 115, and a caller telephone 105. However, similar methodologiesmay be applied in other implementations where different components areused to define the structure of the system, or where the functionalityis distributed differently among the components shown by FIG. 1.

The call destination computer system 135 enables a user to select anoption offered in the notification (705). In one implementation, thecall destination computer system 135 may enable selection of the optionprior to expiration of a predetermined time interval (e.g., 15 seconds).The call destination computer system 135 sends the selected option tothe online service provider system 140 (710). The online serviceprovider system 140 receives the selected option from the calldestination computer system 135 (715), and sends the selected option tothe call handling system 120 (720). The online service provider system140 may do so in real time.

The call handling system 120 receives the selected option (725). Thecall handling system 120 then determines whether the selected optionincludes a call handling instruction (i.e., an instruction to forward orignore the call) (730). If the selected option includes a call handlinginstruction, the call handling system 120 sends the call handlinginstruction to the telephone network 115 (735). The call handlinginstruction may be sent over a signaling channel to the telephonenetwork 115. The telephone network 115 receives and processes the callhandling instruction (740). The telephone network 115 may forward orredirect a voice path of the call, if required by the call handlinginstruction.

The call handling system 120 determines if the selected option requiresplaying an audio message for a caller that placed the call (745). If theselected option requires an audio message to be played, the callhandling system 120 accesses the audio message corresponding to theselected option (750) and sends the accessed audio message to the callertelephone 105 through the telephone network (755). The audio message maybe sent to the caller telephone 105 over a voice path through thetelephone network 115. The caller telephone 105 receives the audiomessage (760) and enables a user to hear the audio message (765). Insome implementations, the audio message may be identified and sent tothe caller telephone 105 before the call handling instruction isidentified and processed.

The call handling system 120 determines whether future calls from asource of the call for which the process 700 is executing should beblocked (770). The selected option may indicate that future calls fromthe call source should be blocked. More particularly, the user of thecall destination computer system 135 may select the selected option toreflect a desire to block future calls from the call source. If futurecalls are to be blocked, then the call handling system 120 determines ifthe call source should be added to a list of call sources whose callsreceive special handling (775). The call handling system 120 may do sothrough execution of the process 400 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 8, a call handling interface 800 is used to specifyhow calls from undesirable call sources are handled. The undesirablecall sources are specified in a list of such call sources, such as thecall source list 125 of FIG. 1. The call handling interface 800 enablesa user to indicate times at which calls from the call sources arehandled and people for whom calls from the undesirable call sources arehandled. The call handling interface 800 includes call handling options805-820, a desirable call source list 825, an undesirable call sourcelist 830, call source list controls 835-850, time options 855-880, andpeople options 885-895.

The call handling options 805-820 enable the selection of a list ofundesirable call sources such that special handling may be applied tocalls from the undesirable call sources. For example, the option 805indicates that special handling is not to be applied to any calls is 5because no undesirable call sources exist. The option 810 indicates thatthe special handling should be applied to all calls from call sourcesnot included in an address book of the user of the call handlinginterface 800. More particularly, a list of undesirable call sourcesthat includes all call sources not included in the user's address bookmay be selected with the option 810.

The option 815 indicates that the special handling should be applied toall calls from call sources that are not included in the desirable callsource list 825. In other words, a list of undesirable call sources thatincludes all call sources not included in the desirable call source list825 may be selected with the option 815. The desirable call source list825 is a list of call sources whose calls are not to receive the specialhandling. The desirable call source list 825 may be specified manuallyby the user of the call handling interface 800. For example, thedesirable call source list 825 may be modified with the call source listcontrols 835 and 840. More particularly, an addition control 835 enablesthe addition of a desirable call source to the desirable call sourcelist 825, and a removal control 840 removes a selected call source fromthe desirable call source list 825.

The option 820 indicates that the special handling should be applied toall calls from call sources that are included in the undesirable callsource list 830. The undesirable call source list 830 is a list of callsources whose calls are to receive the special handling. The undesirablecall source list 830 may be specified manually by the user of the callhandling interface 800 or through execution of the process 400 of FIG.4. For example, the undesirable call source list 830 may be modifiedwith the call source list controls 845 and 850. More particularly, anaddition control 845 enables the addition of an undesirable call sourceto the undesirable call source list 830, and the removal control 850removes a selected call source from the undesirable call source list830.

The time options 855-880 enable the specification of a time range duringwhich special call handling is applied to the undesirable call sourcesidentified by the call handling options 805-820. For example, if theoptions 805-820 indicate that special handling is to be applied to callsfrom call sources in the undesirable call source list 830, then specialhandling is applied to calls from call sources in the undesirable callsource list 830 during the time range indicated by the time options855-880. The time options 855-865 enable the specification of a starttime of the range, and the time options 870-880 enable the specificationof the end time. More particularly, the day of the week of the starttime is specified with the option 855, the hour with the option 860, andthe minute with the option 865. Similarly, the day of the week of theend time is specified with the option 870, the hour with the option 875,and the minute with the option 880. In some implementations, the timeoptions 855 may be used to specify multiple ranges during which the callhandling is applied or withheld, and to apply different ranges todifferent call sources.

The people options 885-895 enable the specification of people for whomspecial call handling is applied to calls from the undesirable callsources identified by the call handling options 805-820. Moreparticularly, the option 885 causes the specified call handling to beapplied to calls to the user of the call handling interface 800 whenselected. The option 890 causes the specified call handling to beapplied to calls to members in a contact list maintained by the user,such as a buddy list of an instant messaging system. The option 895causes the specified call handling to be applied to calls to allpossible users. When option 890 or 895 is selected, users on the user'sbuddy list (when option 890 is selected) or all users (when option 895is selected) may be given the option to opt in or opt out with respectto having their calls handled based on the user's configuration of theinterface 800.

Other people options are possible to enable the specification of otherpeople or groups of people for whom the specified call handling isapplied. In one implementation, one of the people options 885-895 mustbe selected, such that the specified call handling is applied to atleast one person.

Referring to FIG. 9, the call source list 125 includes multiplecategories 905-920. More particularly, the call source list 125 mayinclude a national category 905, an organization category 910, a groupcategory 915, and an individual user category 920. Each of thecategories 905-920 includes one or more identifiers of call sourceswhose calls are to receive special handling. More particularly, callsfrom a call source included in a particular category receive specialhandling only when the calls are placed to users corresponding to theparticular category. The call source list 125 may apply to multipleusers.

The national category 905 includes sources of calls to which specialhandling is applied for a global set of users. More particularly,special handling is applied to calls from a call source included in thenational category 905 for users corresponding to one or more of thecategories 910-920 of the call source list 125. The call sourcesincluded in the national category 905 may be suggested for addition bythe corresponding users. The national category 905 may correspond to theNational Do Not Call Registry or some other similar service thatmaintains a list of known call sources from which undesirable calls arereceived or of users that do not desire to receive future calls from theknown call sources. Special handling may be applied to calls from a callsource included in the national category 905 that are placed to aparticular user even though the particular user did not indicate adesire to have special handling applied to calls from the call source.

The organization category 910 includes call sources whose calls are toreceive special handling when placed to a member of a particularorganization. The particular organization may be a company, a business,or an Internet service provider (ISP). The call sources included in theorganization category 910 may be suggested for addition by a member ofthe organization, such as an employee, a customer, a subscriber, or auser of the organization, using for example, the option 895 of theinterface 800. Special handling may be applied to calls from a callsource included in the organization category 910 that are placed to aparticular member of the organization even though the particular memberdid not indicate a desire to have special handling applied to calls fromthe call source. An entry may be placed in the organization category 910(or the group category 915) only after a threshold number of users inthe organization or group has indicated a desire for the call sourcecorresponding to the entry to be placed on the list.

The group category 915 includes call sources whose calls are to receivespecial handling when placed to a member of a particular group. Thegroup may be a group of people from the organization corresponding tothe organization category 915. For example, the group may be a group ofemployees, customers, subscribers, or users of the organization.Alternatively or additionally, the group may be a group that is notrelated to the organization, such as a family, a group of friends, or agroup of people included in a contact list. The call sources included inthe group category 915 may be suggested for addition by a member of thegroup using, for example, the option 890 of the interface 800. Specialhandling may be applied to calls from a call source included in thegroup category 915 that are placed to a particular member of the groupeven though the particular member did not indicate a desire to havespecial handling applied to calls from the call source.

The individual user category 920 includes call sources whose calls areto receive special handling when placed to a particular individual. Theindividual may be a member of the organization corresponding to theorganization category 910 or a group corresponding to the group category915. The call sources included in the individual user category 920 areadded to the individual user category 920 by the particular individualusing, for example, the option 885 of the interface 800.

In one implementation, the call source list 125 may include multipleindividual user categories 920, multiple group categories 915, multipleorganization categories 910, and a single national category 905. In sucha case, the call source list 125 may apply to all possible users. Moreparticularly, the call source list 125 may include one individual usercategory 920 for each of the possible users. The call source list 125also may include a group category 915 for each of the groups to whichthe possible users belong, and an organization category 910 for each ofthe organizations to which the possible users belong. Therefore, each ofthe possible users corresponds to one of the individual user categories920 and the single national category 905, and may correspond to one ormore of the group categories 915 and one or more of the organizationcategories 910. Special handling may be applied to calls to each of thepossible users based on the presence of sources of the calls incategories of the call source list 125 that apply to the user.

In another implementation, the call source list 125 may be constructedfor a single user and may include one or more of each of the categories905-920. More particularly, the call source list 125 may include oneindividual user category 920 for the single user, a copy of each of thegroup categories 915 that correspond to groups that include the singleuser, a copy of each of the organization categories 910 that correspondto organizations that include the single user, and a copy of thenational category 905. As a result, maintaining individual call sourcelists 125 may result in redundant maintenance of instances of thecategories 905-920.

The described systems, methods, and techniques may be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware, software, orin combinations of these elements. Apparatus embodying these techniquesmay include appropriate input and output devices, a computer processor,and a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readablestorage device for execution by a programmable processor. A processembodying these techniques may be performed by a programmable processorexecuting a program of instructions to perform desired functions byoperating on input data and generating appropriate output. Thetechniques may be implemented in one or more computer programs that areexecutable on a programmable system including at least one programmableprocessor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmitdata and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. Each computer program may beimplemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programminglanguage, or in assembly or machine language if desired; and in anycase, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Suitableprocessors include, by way of example, both general and special purposemicroprocessors. Generally, a processor will receive instructions anddata from a read-only memory and/or a random access memory. Storagedevices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructionsand data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way ofexample semiconductor memory devices, such as Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such asinternal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; andCompact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM). Any of the foregoing may besupplemented by, or incorporated in, specially-designed ASICs(application-specific integrated circuits).

It will be understood that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the claims. For example,advantageous results still could be achieved if steps of the disclosedtechniques were performed in a different order and/or if components inthe disclosed systems were combined in a different manner and/orreplaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method for enabling handling of incoming phone calls, the methodcomprising: receiving an indication from one or more call recipientsreflecting a desire to block future calls from a call source;determining a number of received indications reflecting a desire toblock future calls from the call source; comparing the number ofindications to a threshold; adding an identifier of the call source to alist when the number of indications meets the threshold; and enabling adetermination of how to handle an incoming phone call from the callsource based on whether the call source is included in the list.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the indication is received in response to acall to the one or more call recipients from the call source.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein enabling a determination of how to handle anincoming phone call from the call source comprises enabling the phonecall to be blocked when the call source is included in the list.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the identifier of the call source comprises aphone number of the call source.
 5. The method of claim 1 whereinreceiving an indication reflecting the desire of the one or more callrecipients to block calls from the call source comprises: enablingpresentation of a user interface that presents calls from the callsource to one or more of the call recipients; and receiving theindication from the user interface.
 6. The method of claim 5 whereinreceiving the indication from the user interface presented to arecipient comprises receiving the indication from an online serviceprovider system that provides the user interface to the recipient. 7.The method of claim 5 wherein the user interface makes perceivable a logof calls received by the recipient.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein theuser interface makes perceivable a notification of an incoming call tothe recipient from the call source.
 9. The method of claim 1 whereinreceiving an indication reflecting the desire of the one or more callrecipients to block calls from the call source comprises receiving theindication from phones used by recipients of calls from the phonenumber.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein adding the call source to thelist comprises: identifying an appropriate category for the call source;and adding the call source to the appropriate category.
 11. The methodof claim 10 wherein identifying an appropriate category for the callsource comprises retrieving an indication of the appropriate categoryfrom the indication reflecting the desire to block future calls from thecall source.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the appropriate categoryis a category of call sources from which future calls are blocked for asingle recipient of the calls.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein theappropriate category is a category of call sources from which futurecalls are blocked for a group of recipients of the calls.
 14. The methodof claim 1 further comprising: receiving an indication from one of thecall recipients of times when phone calls from the call source are to behandled; and associating the indication of the times with the callsource in the list.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving anindication from one of the call recipients of times when phone callsfrom the call source are to be handled comprises receiving an indicationof times when phone calls from the call source are to be handled from auser interface presented to a recipient of the calls from the phonenumber.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein receiving the indication ofthe times from the user interface presented to the recipient comprisesreceiving the indication of the times from an online service providersystem that provides the user interface to the recipient.
 17. A methodfor handling an incoming call from an undesired call source, the methodcomprising: receiving an indication of a call placed to a callrecipient; identifying a source of the call; determining if theidentified call source is included in a list of call sources from whichfuture calls are specially handled; and applying special handling to thecall when the identified call source is included in the list, wherein acall source is added to the list of call sources after a number ofreceived indications reflecting a desire of corresponding callrecipients to block future calls from the call source exceeds athreshold number.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein applying specialhandling to the call comprises blocking the call.
 19. The method ofclaim 17 wherein applying special handling to the call comprisesforwarding the call to the call recipient with additional informationidentifying the call as originating from a call source included in thelist.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the additional informationcauses the call to ring differently on a phone used by the callrecipient than calls originating from call sources not included in thelist.
 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the additional informationcomprises the number of indications reflecting a desire of thecorresponding call recipients to block future calls from the call sourcethat have been received.
 22. The method of claim 19 further comprisingpresenting the additional information to the call recipient.
 23. Themethod of claim 22 wherein presenting the additional informationcomprises presenting the additional information in a notification thatthe call originated from a call source included in the list.
 24. Themethod of claim 17 further comprising forwarding the call withadditional information identifying the call as originating from a callsource not included in the list for which at least one indicationreflecting the desire of the corresponding call recipients to blockfuture calls from the call source has been received.
 25. The method ofclaim 24 wherein the additional information comprises a number ofindications reflecting the desire of the corresponding call recipientsto block future calls from the call source that have been received. 26.The method of claim 24 wherein the additional information causes thecall to ring differently on a phone used by the call recipient thancalls originating from other call sources not included in the list. 27.The method of claim 24 further comprising presenting the additionalinformation to the call recipient.
 28. The method of claim 27 whereinpresenting the additional information comprises presenting theadditional information in a notification that the call originated from acall source for which at least one indication has been received.
 29. Themethod of claim 17 wherein applying special handling to the call whenthe call source is included in the list comprises: identifying acategory within the list of call sources that includes the call source;applying special handling to the call when the call recipientcorresponds to the identified category of the list.
 30. The method ofclaim 17 wherein applying special handling to the call when the callsource is included in the list comprises: determining if a time at whichthe call is received is a time at which special handling is to beapplied to calls from the call source; and applying the special handlingto the call when the time at which the call is received is a time atwhich the special handling is to be applied to the calls.
 31. The methodof claim 17 wherein applying special handling to the call comprisesplaying an audio message for the call source indicating that specialhandling is being applied to the call.
 32. The method of claim 31wherein playing the audio message for the call source comprises playingan audio message for the call source that informs that call source thatfuture phone calls from the call source will be blocked.
 33. The methodof claim 17 further comprising notifying the call recipient that thespecial handling has been applied to the call.
 34. The method of claim17 wherein: identifying a source of the call comprises identifying aphone number from which the call was placed; and determining if theidentified call source is included in the list comprises determining ifthe identified phone number is included in a list of phone numbers ofcall sources from which future calls are to be blocked
 35. The method ofclaim 17 further comprising presenting a user interface to the callrecipient that presents indications of calls placed to the callrecipient and enables the call recipient to generate indications thatfuture calls from the sources of the presented calls are to be blocked.36. The method of claim 35 wherein the user interface makes perceivablea log of calls received by the call recipient.
 37. The method of claim35 wherein the user interface makes perceivable a notification ofincoming calls placed to the call recipient.
 38. The method of claim 17further comprising receiving an indication reflecting a desire ofcorresponding call recipients to block future calls from the call sourcefrom a phone used by the call recipient.
 39. The method of claim 17further comprising notifying the call recipient that the call is beinghandled regularly when the call source is not included in the list. 40.The method of claim 39 further comprising enabling the call recipient togenerate an indication reflecting the desire that future calls from thecall source are to be blocked when the call source is not included inthe list.